How many of you guys play in a band?

[Skadsson]

Okay, I hope to god that this hasn't come up before (I am honestly too drunk for the search function right now).

So what I want to know is how many of you guys are pulling off the whole audio engineering thing by itself and how many of you are playing in a band? Simple question. My perception has been that people on this board recording bands other than their own have gotten quite pissed off since a lot of bands lack the expertise you are able to gather when reading this godlike message board.
I personally play in a Deathgrind/Grindcore/Whatever band and have been reading this board since 9 months now, and I feel it has given me a better understanding of how things should sound and work out in a recording and live/rehearsal situation.

Does anyone here share my views and experiences? Oh yeah, 2 bottles of wine rock.

Cheers,

a very drunken Skadsson

 

[TravisW]

Yep. I'm primarily a band guy. I don't consider myself a mixing engineer in the least bit. However, I like to pick up tips as far as all of this goes so that when my band is FINALLY READY for fill-length recording, I can at least handle most of the tracking.

 

[amarshism]

only got into this stuff through being in a band... doesnt leave much time for anything really

 

[Uros]

+1 to amarshism

 

[Clockwork]

Yeah I stumbled upon this board when I wanted to start getting recordings of my own band to a level better than just "demos".

 

[ApeScaleConflict]

I've been playing guitar 13yrs and always in a band. Also got into this whole mixing scene by the same issue that Clockwork. Now for the first time in MANY years, i have no band. I feel lost, depressed and that i don't have a destination in life Im not gonna die, that's not a destination.

 

[vespiz]

Yep.

 

[friendforafoe]

Started by just recording my own music as a hobby, then turned my solo stuff into a band ... then I hated myself for starting to get into production/recording more, because I didn't want to stop learning. That doesn't sound like I should hate myself for it, but when you end up recording a band that just "doesn't get it" or you're struggling with a mix because you can't figure out which instrument is clouding the mix with muddy EQ (before my ears were "trained" of course), or you're waiting to recieve the last payment from a band, or for any other number of reasons, you can get turned off easily. It's a learning process though and the amazing thing is you always learn something new and you never actually stop learning. As long as you stick with it, it can be the best thing to ever happen to you as much as it my frustrate you from time to time.

 

[Wohma]

In a band and happy about it... I thought about putting the whole damn thing to sleep (at least in the full band format) as we've gone through perpetual line-up changes and don't get much popularity as we come from a relatively small town and play a very un-trendy genre mix, but if a rehearsal feels good or during a concert (and a few weeks after) I'm always grateful for having a real band. There's nothing like that, no substitute.

And it's always good to be able to crank up your amp, which most of the folks can't do at home. And it's half the fun if you play through headphones or on low volume.

 

[Loki Laufeyiarson]

In a band. And always experimented with making electronic and samplebased stuff (hiphop/triphop/weird crap) wich was a reason for my former band to let me mix the stuff we recorded right before we broke up, because nobody felt like spending any more cash on it after breaking up but didn't want the recordings to go unused. That's how I ended up here.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

Used to, nowadays no. I don't even really write songs either anymore. I just enjoy being on the other side of the control room glass too much

I keep toying with the idea of putting together a band again, but if I do, it'll definitely be just for fun.

 

[plague_rider]

Playing bass for 10 years now... got shown this place by a friend who will remain (iamandy) nameless because I got into recording as well as playing... not currently in a band...

 

[Brandon E.]

I got into audio engineering because I felt disgusted by the idea of ever having to pay somebody else to make ME sound good. I used to play in bands but right now I just jam out on my guitar. I'm a finance major with heavy aspirations to be rich as fuck so I'm done with bands hahahah

 

[schwinginbatman]

I'm in two bands. The first one was the one I formed in 2008, and the other I just joined earlier this year. I only got into production because I'm extremely cheap, and I'd rather do my own stuff than pay some other guy to do it.

 

[Sloan]

I am usually in two bands at any given time as well as working on my own solo material for fun (don't really play solo shows often). After my first band ever broke up around 2001, I started just doing my own weird things, mostly just bits and pieces of songs on a cheap 4-track cassette deck. Then in 2003, I bought a used yamaha aw16g workstation off ebay and i've never been the same since.
I became obsessed with recording stuff and eventually moved all my gear in to an empty room and it became my sonic laboratory where I could experiment freely. I had lots of shitty recordings and friends heard them and i ended up recording some friends etc.. I don't do recording stuff full time at all as there are not really acts here that I want to deal with.

I've learned a ton, but still think my shit sucks. I think I would much rather be in a band i love where i could quit my day job to tour full time than work at a studio and dealing with clients, but I absolutely love studio environments.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Nope, did the band thing for 13 years and called it quits. I sort of want to get back into it, but as a cover band.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Been playing guitar for 15 years.....been in bands for about 12 years. Always a struggle and always drama of some sort. I don't consider myself and audio engineer or anything, but I read this forum daily and I love trying to tweak mixes. Lately it's been leaving me with barely any free time.

 

[Glenn Fricker]

Haven't played in a group since about 1996... tired of the bullshit & got better results recording groups instead.

 

[Fifth_Horseman]

I'm in two bands (see my sig), and my main interest for getting into recording at all was for the benefit of the bands.

 

[Cryo114]

only got into this stuff through being in a band..

I only got into this kinda stuff through not being able to be in a band, a band that didn't want to cover Coldplay all day anyway. I figured this was the only way I could make music.